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5.3
What you should learn
GOAL 1 Use properties of medians of a triangle. GOAL 2 Use properties of altitudes of a triangle.

Medians and Altitudes of a Triangle

GOAL 1 USING MEDIANS OF A TRIANGLE
A

Why you should learn it

To solve real-life problems, such as locating points in a triangle used to measure a persons heart fitness as in Exs. 3033. AL LI
RE

In Lesson 5.2, you studied two special types of segments of a triangle: perpendicular bisectors of the sides and angle bisectors. In this lesson, you will study two other special types of segments of a triangle: medians and altitudes. A median of a triangle is a segment whose endpoints are a vertex of the triangle and the midpoint of the opposite side. For instance, in ABC shown at the right, D is the midpoint of side BC. So, AD is a median of the triangle.

median

The three medians of a triangle are concurrent. The point of concurrency is called the centroid of the triangle. The centroid, labeled P in the diagrams below, is always inside the triangle.

FE

acute triangle

right triangle

obtuse triangle

The medians of a triangle have a special concurrency property, as described in Theorem 5.7. Exercises 1316 ask you to use paper folding to demonstrate the relationships in this theorem. A proof appears on pages 836837.
THEOREM THEOREM 5.7

Concurrency of Medians of a Triangle

The medians of a triangle intersect at a point that is two thirds of the distance from each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. If P is the centroid of ABC, then
2 2 2 AP = AD, BP = BF, and CP = CE. 3 3 3
B P E F A D C

The centroid of a triangle can be used as its balancing point, as shown on the next page.
5.3 Medians and Altitudes of a Triangle 279

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FOCUS ON

APPLICATIONS

A triangular model of uniform thickness and density will balance at the centroid of the triangle. For instance, in the diagram shown at the right, the triangular model will balance if the tip of a pencil is placed at its centroid.

centroid

1990

1890 1790

Suppose the location of each person counted in a census is identified by a weight placed on a flat, weightless map of the United States. The map would balance at a point that is the center of the population. This center has been moving westward over time.

RE

L AL I

CENTER OF POPULATION

EXAMPLE 1

Using the Centroid of a Triangle

STUDENT HELP
INT
NE ER T

Visit our Web site www.mcdougallittell.com for extra examples.

280

FE

P is the centroid of QRS shown below and PT = 5. Find RT and RP.

SOLUTION

Because P is the centroid, RP = RT. Then PT = RT RP = RT. Substituting 5 for PT, 5 = RT, so RT = 15.
2 2 Then RP = RT = (15) = 10. 3 3 1 3 1 3

2 3

P q T S

So, RP = 10 and RT = 15.

EXAMPLE 2

Finding the Centroid of a Triangle

y

Find the coordinates of the centroid of JKL.

SOLUTION

J (7, 10) N

You know that the centroid is two thirds of the distance from each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Choose the median KN. Find the

L (3, 6) M
1 1

coordinates of N, the midpoint of JL . The coordinates of N are

K (5, 2)
x

3 + 7 6 + 10 10 16 , = , = (5, 8). 2 2 2 2

Find the distance from vertex K to midpoint N. The distance from K(5, 2) to

N(5, 8) is 8 2, or 6 units.
2 Determine the coordinates of the centroid, which is 6, or 4 units up from 3

vertex K along the median KN.

The coordinates of centroid P are (5, 2 + 4), or (5, 6). .......... Exercises 2123 ask you to use the Distance Formula to confirm that the distance from vertex J to the centroid P in Example 2 is two thirds of the distance from J to M, the midpoint of the opposite side.

HOMEWORK HELP

Chapter 5 Properties of Triangles

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GOAL 2

USING ALTITUDES OF A TRIANGLE

An altitude of a triangle is the perpendicular segment from a vertex to the opposite side or to the line that contains the opposite side. An altitude can lie inside, on, or outside the triangle. Every triangle has three altitudes. The lines containing the altitudes are concurrent and intersect at a point called the orthocenter of the triangle.
EXAMPLE 3 Logical Reasoning

Drawing Altitudes and Orthocenters

Where is the orthocenter located in each type of triangle?

a. Acute triangle SOLUTION b. Right triangle c. Obtuse triangle

Draw an example of each type of triangle and locate its orthocenter.

B E D G A F C M L K J W Z Y P

X R

a. ABC is an acute triangle. The three altitudes intersect at G, a point inside

the triangle.
b. KLM is a right triangle. The two legs, LM and KM, are also altitudes. They

intersect at the triangles right angle. This implies that the orthocenter is on the triangle at M, the vertex of the right angle of the triangle.
c. YPR is an obtuse triangle. The three lines that contain the altitudes intersect

at W, a point that is outside the triangle.

THEOREM THEOREM 5.8

Concurrency of Altitudes of a Triangle

H F B

The lines containing the altitudes of a triangle are concurrent. If AE , BF , and CD are the altitudes of ABC, then the lines AE, BF, and CD intersect at some point H.

A D C E

Exercises 2426 ask you to use construction to verify Theorem 5.8. A proof appears on page 838.
5.3 Medians and Altitudes of a Triangle 281